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God, Country, and the Supreme Court
Discusses the First Amendment, states rights, Jeffersonian democracy, the influence of the Supreme Court, Thoreau, academic freedom, McCarthyism, segregation, and abortion
217 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1985
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February 18, 2026
5 stars for the quotes used and 1 star for the elaborations and argumentation. This book had a lot of promise, I was deeply intrigued by the start of the book (a quote from Burke that I share below) while the rest of the book failed to live up to the first two sentences. The book itself was well put together and I applaud the work put into the research and sources used. I felt however that the author missed a tremendous opportunity to provide more compelling arguments because he failed to adequately represent those viewpoints he was expressly against. Most people, no matter where they lie on a political spectrum, are not malignant uneducated individuals intent on destroying society. Failing to highlight the sincerity in opposing political views made the arguments punch wide and fail to leave a mark.
My favorite parts of this book were the direct quotes from founding figures and enlightenment thinkers such as this from Edmund Burke:
“Society cannot exist unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere, and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters.”
I believe self control is the only real and lasting control we can ever have and as such I wish It was of greater societal import. What would our world look like if self-control replaced greed, excessive ambition, and partisan zeal? That is a world I want to be a part of by striving for greater self-actualization through self-mastery
My favorite parts of this book were the direct quotes from founding figures and enlightenment thinkers such as this from Edmund Burke:
“Society cannot exist unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere, and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters.”
I believe self control is the only real and lasting control we can ever have and as such I wish It was of greater societal import. What would our world look like if self-control replaced greed, excessive ambition, and partisan zeal? That is a world I want to be a part of by striving for greater self-actualization through self-mastery
Displaying 1 of 1 review